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00:00Milano, Cortina, 2026, the Olympics continue to go on right now.
00:04Most of us waiting to see when Canada is going to take on the U.S.
00:07and women's hockey.
00:08That's coming up quickly here.
00:10And then, of course, in the men's side of things,
00:11when they start to get underway,
00:13we'll get some help a little bit later in the show by Pete Jensen.
00:15Lead us in the right direction on those.
00:17But, Joe, let's take a look at day three medal count.
00:20Norway, Switzerland, and Japan are leading the way so far.
00:23Seven total medals here for Japan.
00:26How about nine total medals for Italy out here?
00:28But the gold medal is what means the most.
00:31Two nations have three apiece.
00:33It's Norway and Switzerland.
00:34How about that?
00:35Yeah, and Norway, of course, was the odds-on favorite to have
00:40not only the total medal count having the most, but also the golds.
00:46And, I mean, let's face it, they're right there here.
00:48Switzerland, though, making a good showing of it as well with their three golds.
00:53But a lot of events still to come here, Donnie.
00:56But, you know what would be nice here?
00:58Like, we always like travel arrangements.
00:59Like, ooh, I got to drive here.
01:01I got to drive there.
01:02Or I got to get on a commercial jet.
01:03Go to Miami with a layover in Charlotte.
01:05How about this?
01:06It looks like NBC chartered two Bombardier Global 7,500 private jets
01:12to transport Mike Tirico and others right from the Super Bowl to the Olympics.
01:16It says they left California at 1.30 a.m. local time
01:19and will land at 9 p.m. in Milan, roughly 6,000 miles and 10-plus hours of total travel time.
01:25Now, you might think to yourself, Joe, like, oh, man, that's unbelievably bad.
01:28No, they're actually on five-star private jets with meals
01:32and all the accommodations and sleep you could possibly get.
01:34That's like flying around in a five-star hotel room.
01:37Must be nice, huh?
01:38Yeah, well, it's still – still, that's not a fun – at some point, it all catches up
01:44and you, no matter how –
01:45Oh, it's a party, Joe.
01:46It's a party.
01:47But I give Tirico all the credit in the world.
01:50That is a lot of prepping to have to prep for the Super Bowl, Donnie,
01:54and got to know all those stories and then have to call one of the worst,
01:59most boring Super Bowls that we've had in a long time.
02:02And now he's got to learn about 12,000 different names and different languages.
02:07Good luck, Tirico.
02:08That's why they pay you the big bucks, man.
02:11That was Kirk Herbstreet on that plane with his dog, with Mike Tirico,
02:14flying to Milan.
02:15Sometimes we want to find him.
02:16And maybe Snoop Dogg was on there as well, hanging out.
02:18But I got to tell you, how about these stories?
02:19We talk about some of the – man, I can't believe how old this person is
02:22and still playing.
02:23Serena Williams getting back in it.
02:24Tom Brady retiring in his mid-40s.
02:26Who knows how long Aaron Rodgers is going to play for?
02:28How about this one?
02:29Austrian snowboarder, Claudia Regler, 52 years old,
02:34competing in her fifth Winter Olympics Games,
02:36becoming the oldest female athlete to ever participate.
02:39How about that one, Joe?
02:42Yeah, well, you know, it's funny, Donnie,
02:44because I always used to say, you know, like the yoggers of the world
02:47would have played until they were 60 if they would have let them on there.
02:51There are just – you know, the Winter Olympics
02:53and these kinds of events allow for some interesting –
02:57it's not a young man's game, so to speak, anymore.
03:01So, kudos.
03:02The fact that she even made it to the Olympics, Donnie,
03:04I mean, it's not like, you know, these sports aren't very popular in Austria.
03:09So, the fact that she's still at the top of the game at that age,
03:12that's kudos, by all means.
03:15How about – let's get to this.
03:16This is a good topic right here, here.
03:17Matilda Grimald of Switzerland beat Elaine Gu of China once again
03:22in women's freestyle slope style to become – excuse me, slope style
03:25to become a back-to-back Olympic champion.
03:27Megan Oldham of Canada won a bronze, her first Olympic medal.
03:30So, Elaine Gu, I should say, born in the United States,
03:34raised in the United States, went to college in the United States,
03:37trained in the United States, but she performs for China.
03:40How about that one, Joe?
03:41You like that?
03:42Yeah, that's got to go.
03:44And I believe she's a multimillionaire as well.
03:48Also, to just add insult to injury there for Team USA.
03:53But I got to tell you, there was – that was actually pretty good.
03:56It was a triple corkscrew jump that ended up getting it done for her.
04:01And I – yeah, not me.
04:03I got dizzy just watching it.
04:05But, yeah, kudos.
04:06The competitions are actually getting pretty fun.
04:09By the way, Jetta.
04:11You ever hear that name, Jetta?
04:12It's like, oh, yeah, that's Justin Jefferson,
04:13wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings.
04:15Not this Jetta.
04:16Jetta.
04:17Leardam breaks a minutes-old Olympic record for gold in speed skating.
04:22Jake Paul's fiancée, wife, girlfriend, whoever it is, flying out there.
04:28I mean, flying, Donnie.
04:29You're absolutely correct.
04:31I mean, the speeds they get up to, it's pretty impressive.
04:35And she gets it done.
04:36So, kudos to her and to the boyfriend there.
04:41I'm sure they'll parlay that into some sort of podcast for $12 trillion.
04:46By the way, it says minutes old.
04:48So, somebody just broke the record, then she broke it minutes later.
04:51Is that what I'm gathering out of this?
04:53That's correct.
04:53Yep.
04:54Unreal.
04:55She's like, take that.
04:58Speed skating, man.
04:59Lindsey Vonn's dad, Alan Kildow, puts his foot down in the wake of Vonn's
05:04left leg surgery after a fall in the women's downhill.
05:08Quote, she's 41 years old, and this is the end of her career.
05:11There will be no more ski races for Lindsey Vonn,
05:13as long as I have anything to say about it.
05:15Yeah, we'll see about that, Dad.
05:16How many girls never listen to their dad on any topics here?
05:19That's what I'm talking about now.
05:20Girl Dads Unite.
05:22Predictive markets, you know we love it right here on the Early Line,
05:25on the Sports Grid Network, and also Prediction Markets Edge.
05:28You'll see that this weekend once again with a fired-up show this weekend,
05:32post-Super Bowl, as we get a crack in, Joe.
05:34But a couple good topics to talk about today,
05:36which includes history at the Winter Olympics,
05:40mixed doubles curling final, Sweden versus the United States,
05:44our first chance to medal,
05:45with a legitimate chance now at a gold medal.
05:48If we look at the predictive markets right now, Joe,
05:50USA, 65% trading as a chance for the gold medal.
05:56Sweden, 37% chance here, Joe.
05:59We are actually the favorite in a competition we've never got a medal in.
06:03How about that?
06:05Yeah, I love it, Donnie.
06:06I mean, it's a new era.
06:08It's a new group of athletes, and listen,
06:11that sport has come a long way as far as popularity here in this country.
06:17So kudos.
06:18I really hope it gets it done.
06:20And if you haven't checked it out, Donnie, you really should,
06:23because it is actually really interesting.
06:25By the way, a $100 wager on fading the United States today would pay back $278.
06:33Who would go against national pride?
06:34Who would do that and bet against their own country here?
06:37I just love the fact that the U.S. is a favorite.
06:39We'll see if they can carry that.
06:39By the way, behind the scenes,
06:40do we have a time on when this mixed double curling final is going to take place?
06:45Do we have to wait for a little bit later today?
06:46Is it going around our lunchtime today?
06:4912.05 p.m. Eastern here, Joe.
06:52So having your lunch today,
06:53you can sit down and watch to see if the U.S. can actually take home mixed curling
06:57and a gold medal here.
06:59Now, women's ice hockey, gold medal country,
07:02you know it's coming down to two places, USA and Canada.
07:06Team USA trading currently at a 61% chance, Joe,
07:10and Team Canada at a 40% chance.
07:13Sweden coming in with a 2% chance to get that gold.
07:16But it looks like the U.S. is the favorite right now over Canada.
07:19Yeah, and they just looked absolutely dominant again yesterday, Donnie, didn't they?
07:25So they are the favorite for a reason, I think, the women's side, Team USA.
07:31And, yeah, I think they're going to go a little scorched earth here, I think,
07:36on the women's side right through to the gold medal.
07:39Yeah, taking a look yesterday here,
07:42it seems that women's ice hockey had Italy and Japan 3-2 final there,
07:45which Italy won.
07:46Germany 2-1 over France.
07:48And then Team USA, a 5-0 victory over Switzerland.
07:51And Canada, a 5-1 victory over Chetiot.
07:54Now, that game, is it today, Joe?
07:57Do we have, yeah, there we go, 2-10 start.
08:002-0 Canada, 3-0 Team USA.
08:03That is going to be one to watch today, Joe.
08:05Any feelers there?
08:06Does Team USA put up a big show against Canada?
08:09Well, if I'm not mistaken, Team USA is now 3-0, right?
08:12And they've outscored their opponents by a score of 15-1 here.
08:18So, obviously, much tougher competition today.
08:22But, yeah, I believe there's also Marie Philippa Poulin,
08:28is it maybe considered one of the greatest players in women's hockey?
08:32I guess she got into a collision in one of the games there,
08:36so there's some question marks about whether or not
08:38they'll even have their best player on the ice today.
08:40I enjoy the Winter Olympics, as most people do.
08:44Competition between nations are fantastic, but it does have a leg up.
08:48Once the men take the ice for the ice hockey tournament part of the Olympics here,
08:53the Four Nations was absolutely spectacular last year,
08:56and now we up it with the gold medal on the line.
08:59It's Donnie Wright's out. It's Joe Renier.
09:00Let's bring in Pete Jensen, our good friend that we usually talk NHL.
09:04Now we're talking NHL superstars, Pete, at the Olympics.
09:07How you doing there?
09:08Doing great. Great to see best-on-best international Olympic hockey.
09:14We got the little appetizer last year with the Four Nations face-off.
09:18Everybody in the sports world remembers just how exciting and riveting that was.
09:24This will be even better with 12 countries in the men's tournament.
09:27I know we've got a big game coming up with the women's tournament as well,
09:31but NHL stars back in the Olympic Games, you love to see it here.
09:34I absolutely love it. I think it's fantastic. The theater is there.
09:38These guys play for so much pride here, and the hatred ramps up a notch here.
09:43Let's focus on Team USA, who did name Austin Matthews the team captain,
09:47as well as Charlie McAvoy and Matthew Kachuk as the alternate captains here.
09:51Good choices for them, Pete. Leading the way for Team USA.
09:54I mean, there are so many leaders on this team.
09:59The Kachuk brothers strike me as the heart and soul of this roster.
10:03One huge difference compared to the Four Nations.
10:06Remember, Quinn Hughes, the all-world defenseman, top three defenseman in the NHL,
10:11maybe even number two behind Kael McCarr.
10:14He was injured for the entire tournament.
10:16He will be suiting up with his brother, Jack Hughes, who it sounds like he's healthy.
10:21So it's going to be a lot of fun to watch the Hughes brothers joining in on the narrow champion United States.
10:29They barely lost. They lost by one goal.
10:31They also add Tage Thompson to the mix, who's one of the best goal scorers in the NHL,
10:36in the hope that both of those players tilt the scale in their favor.
10:40Pete, let me ask you, I mean, Team USA has got a decision to make in goal, don't they?
10:48I mean, can you go wrong with any one of those guys?
10:53I mean, Ottinger, Swayman, but who do you think they ultimately land with here moving forward?
11:00It's got to be Hellebuck to me.
11:02His big game performances in the Stanley Cup playoffs can certainly be questioned.
11:07Last year had a lot of struggles in the first round and even in the second round as they barely advanced in that game seven.
11:16I think if they're going to go to somebody after that, I like the efficiency of Jeremy Swayman with what he's done for the Boston Bruins this year.
11:25I think you could also lean with Ottinger, but what Swayman is doing in his bounce-back season in the NHL, carrying the Bruins,
11:33I think that he might get the edge if Hellebuck does falter.
11:37But they do have three strong goalie options.
11:40Canada's goalie options are stronger than they were last time around.
11:43They add in, in addition to Bennington, who may very well falter.
11:47He has not had a great regular season for the Blues at all.
11:51They could turn to Logan Thompson, who's been a stud the past two years.
11:55And they also have Darcy Kemper, who's won the Stanley Cup before, another efficient workhorse goalie.
12:01So both teams are loaded in the crease.
12:04It's just going to be a matter of, does Bennington or Hellebuck falter?
12:07If so, they have other guys to turn to at a moment's notice.
12:12Pete, we're going to take a look at just a few moments at some individual games.
12:15But let's take a look at that macro approach here and look at who has a chance to win the Stanley Cup.
12:21Who is in the gold medal?
12:22Yeah, yeah, that may be a Stanley Cup in the future.
12:24Canada, plus 130 price.
12:26They are the favorites here.
12:27USA, plus 190.
12:29Outside of those two teams, and I wanted you to tell me who's going to win the gold,
12:33who has a chance to sneak up there on the podium with the Swedens, the Finlands, the Chechias, and the Switzerland?
12:39I mean, when you look at Sweden's roster, they're also loaded.
12:43There's nobody close to them outside of the top three.
12:48Maybe they're a step behind Canada and the U.S.
12:51That's fair.
12:52But they also have an elite goalie tandem.
12:54They're bringing over the goalie tandem that's second in team save percentage this season for the Minnesota Wild with Phil Gustafson and the rookie Jesper Walstead,
13:04who has four shutouts in the NHL this season.
13:07So he's an X factor.
13:08If he gets playing time, he's one that could steal the whole tournament.
13:12And if Sweden goes all the way, maybe even could be a dark horse for MVP.
13:16But he's got to get there first.
13:18It may very well be a timeshare between Gustafson and Walstead, as it is in the NHL.
13:25But then you also have Victor Hedman's healthy.
13:27They have Eric Carlson back for another run at the gold.
13:30The Wiley veteran and then Rasmus Dahlin is playing amazing hockey for the Buffalo Sabres this year.
13:37The Sabres have been the turnaround story in the NHL, thanks to Dahlin on the back end and Taige Thompson, who I mentioned earlier, who's going to be playing for the U.S.
13:46You're looking for blowouts here, Pete, with Latvia there first.
13:52We're seeing the women blowing everybody out here.
13:54What about the men, you think, on their way?
13:57There should be some blowouts.
14:00No disrespect to France and Italy, but they're not, and Latvia, but not much NHL talent on those rosters.
14:07So it's going to be an underdog look for Italy on Wednesday against Sweden, who I mentioned as a powerhouse.
14:14There are a lot of those other countries, though, like Slovakia is not going to be a pushover.
14:19Denmark, I feel like, might give a scare to either Germany in the opener with a clean slate, or maybe even over the weekend when they play the U.S.
14:28Denmark has some NHL talent with Ehlers and Bjorkstrand, Frederick Anderson, Lars Eller.
14:34So those are guys that are not going to, you know, go down quietly.
14:38And also, when you look at, we try to look at, with a grain of salt, the world championships.
14:43And, you know, it's not always full rosters.
14:45It's based on which guys join the team mid-tournament when their teams get eliminated in the NHL.
14:51But when Denmark played in the world championship against Canada, Canada had McKinnon, Crosby, and Celebrini.
14:59And Denmark beat them 2-1.
15:01Healers scored the tying goal late in the third.
15:03And then they won it later on.
15:05So that's just a reminder that some of these, maybe excluding Latvia, Italy, and France,
15:12all the other countries could pull and upset any given game, including Denmark, Slovakia, and some other teams like that, Switzerland.
15:20Pete, we got a marquee game today, not on the men's side, but the women's side.
15:23Team USA versus Team Canada.
15:25And Team USA, a minus 170 favorite.
15:27And the puck total, 5.5 as it's listed here.
15:31Any thoughts on USA Canada today, women's side?
15:35This is going to be a lot of fun.
15:37You know, we love Hillary Knight and Boulin.
15:40Hopefully she's all right.
15:42No, she was banged up the last game with an injury.
15:46So her status looms large for Canada.
15:49These teams have been blowing everybody out.
15:51But when they play each other, it's always tight.
15:54They have, of course, you know, stars on both sides.
15:56I think it's going to be a high-scoring game in this preliminary round game.
16:00So it's going to be a lot of fun to watch.
16:02Maybe look at the three-way overtime money line as well.
16:06Love to hear it, Pete.
16:07Thanks for coming on the show.
16:08Thanks for coming on the show.
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